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May 14, 2021 3:29 pm  #1


How Far Does That AM Radio Signal Go At Night?

A frequent SOWNY poster alerted me to this somewhat fascinating site that shows the projected contours of almost every radio station in the U.S. and Canada, including day and night reach. Some here may find this of use while others will shrug and say "huh?" The latter can feel free to disregard the link below! 

Choose "Day," "Night" or "Critical Hours" at the top of the page, then pick a frequency to see what pattern each station on that frequency uses. It's a handy reference, but it's not perfect. For example, 1610 is missing entirely for some reason. And the new Brampton station at 1350, CIRF, isn't on the map.  

Medium Wave Pattern References

 

May 14, 2021 4:21 pm  #2


Re: How Far Does That AM Radio Signal Go At Night?

Didn't realize CHLO is the only 530 in North America

 

May 14, 2021 4:46 pm  #3


Re: How Far Does That AM Radio Signal Go At Night?

That night time Zoomer signal is K-razy, baby! 

 

May 14, 2021 5:16 pm  #4


Re: How Far Does That AM Radio Signal Go At Night?

I notice that CFAJ in St. Catharines at 1220 is also missing, so I'm not sure how up-to-date this list. Are they ever going to pass the "test" and just sign on already? It's been going on since Feb. 2020!

     Thread Starter
 

May 14, 2021 8:30 pm  #5


Re: How Far Does That AM Radio Signal Go At Night?

My most distant, verified AM DX is KFI 640 KHZ from LA.


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
 

May 14, 2021 8:43 pm  #6


Re: How Far Does That AM Radio Signal Go At Night?

turkeytop wrote:

My most distant, verified AM DX is KFI 640 KHZ from LA.

Before Toronto took over the 640 frequency, KFI was available in the GTA with a somewhat weak signal after WHLO and the Cuban station signed off. 

 

May 14, 2021 9:54 pm  #7


Re: How Far Does That AM Radio Signal Go At Night?

Also noticed that 900 CHML Hamilton and 640 are both missing for day and night!

 

May 14, 2021 11:48 pm  #8


Re: How Far Does That AM Radio Signal Go At Night?

RadioAaron wrote:

Didn't realize CHLO is the only 530 in North America

When I was just starting out CHLO was at 680.   
 

 

May 15, 2021 1:19 am  #9


Re: How Far Does That AM Radio Signal Go At Night?

When you actually get to work evenings at a real boomchucker, you soon realize that you might have
a bigger audience than some of your compatriates on daytime shifts.
My first year at CKLW was spent on the all night show. I soon discovered that a guy I worked with in
Edmonton was listening to me every morning on his way into work at a station in middle Florida.
A young guy used to call occasionally from Oklahoma City, who told me that we were louder than anything
there. That surprised me, because I had driven across much of North America on my way to Edmonton listening to KOMA.
Got a call one night from somebody in Wyoming. Probably a skip. Don't think it was anybody in the Cheney
family.
Even when we dropped to, I think, 10,000 watts, while the techs did transmitter and Master maintenance some Sunday nights, we boomed into Boston. An op at WRKO would call and say, "Got you, man. Gee,  you sound a lot like us."

 

May 15, 2021 7:21 am  #10


Re: How Far Does That AM Radio Signal Go At Night?

I recall sitting in the parking lot of the Signal Hill historic site in St. Johns NFLD in a 1976 Camaro that had only an  AM radio , and picking up 1050 Chum. This would have been about 11 pm and in Oct 1977. I had just moved there to be the swing shift DJ at Q93. Being an Ontario boy, it was awesome to hear Chum that far away. I also used to listen to WCFL 1000AM  from Chicago as an adolescent in Trenton Ontario on a small transistor hidden inside my pillow at night so my mom wouldn't catch me. 

 

May 15, 2021 12:53 pm  #11


Re: How Far Does That AM Radio Signal Go At Night?

RadioAaron wrote:

Didn't realize CHLO is the only 530 in North America

I believe 530 is typically reserved for low-power information stations. Not sure if it still exists, but at one time there was a 530 AM in Sault Ste. Marie that provided US border info.

 

May 15, 2021 1:00 pm  #12


Re: How Far Does That AM Radio Signal Go At Night?

Both CJBK and CFPL in London are missing from the map, both day and night.

Also missing are Mexican stations, which include border blasters that would put out strong signals into large parts of the US. I believe the maximum ERP for AM stations in Mexico is significantly higher than in Canada and the US.

 

May 15, 2021 4:57 pm  #13


Re: How Far Does That AM Radio Signal Go At Night?

There used to be a radio station on AM 530 kHz in High Level, Alberta from 1988 until it moved to FM in 1999.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/CKHL-FM

A few other 530's in Canada but they were low-power:

CIRS 530 Sault. Ste. Marie, ON Traveler's Info
CKML 530 Deep River, ON Emergency Info - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/CKML
I can't think of anymore AM 530's in Canada but these low-power stations have since left the air.

 

May 16, 2021 5:16 pm  #14


Re: How Far Does That AM Radio Signal Go At Night?

mic'em wrote:

I recall sitting in the parking lot of the Signal Hill historic site in St. Johns NFLD in a 1976 Camaro that had only an  AM radio , and picking up 1050 Chum. This would have been about 11 pm and in Oct 1977. I had just moved there to be the swing shift DJ at Q93. Being an Ontario boy, it was awesome to hear Chum that far away. I also used to listen to WCFL 1000AM  from Chicago as an adolescent in Trenton Ontario on a small transistor hidden inside my pillow at night so my mom wouldn't catch me. 

I will bet at night in Trenton SuperCFL caused much splatter on CFRB/WINS.